"Do it Afraid."

Hellooo sweet people, & happy Sunday! Thanks for being here. Today I have a push to share about change, as it is something that I tend to avoid, and is something that can make me heavily uncomfortable. If I'm put in a situation where life decides to take an unexpected turn or if there's a drastic change of routine, I'm definitely going into 'flight' mode if we're talking "fight or flight". I like having a game plan. I like knowing what I'm getting myself into. If you're the same, do a little pound it on your heart right now, because I 10000% understand you girl. You're not alone in this. However, here is a gentle reminder for us both that: this is not how we grow. This is the safe route, the comfortable, yet dull option. This was a bit of a hard pill for me to swallow, but: comfort zones are no place to remain if you're looking to grow yourself.

And due to realizing this, I've slowly but surely grown to have a different perception on change.

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~ Change: noun; 'the act or instance of making or becoming different'. ~

When we really break this down, it makes sense why many of us fear change. When we remain in what is, we know what's coming. We feel 'prepared' and 'braced' for what's next. However, when we step outside of that, we're suddenly thrown into a new game. Yikes. Spooky. And in this new game, the element of trust has just been added.

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When we're comfortable, when we know what's next, when we 'play it safe' to put it bluntly, we simply aren't challenging ourselves. We aren't allowing space for growth and extending ourselves into the unknown. I believe there is such thing as a healthy amount of fear. Oof. I hesitated to type that sentence because the word 'fear' tends to have a negative feeling correlated to it. But, and hear me out, I do believe in my core that fear can be a beautiful motivator. Think about the last time you did something that absolutely terrified you. How did you feel post doing so? Most likely very strong. Resilient. Powerful. Strengthened. Hence why I believe a little sprinkle of fear every now and then is not a negative thing. Now, there is a difference between being nervous or scared to tackle a challenge, versus your gut instincts trying to steer you clear of things not meant for you, and past traumas leading you. I want to emphasize this because there most certainly is a fine line between the two. Now, I'm not a psychologist, so I hesitate to dive further into that specific topic, but if you are curious, there are many amazing resources out there that help us navigate gut feelings, and the psychology behind our thoughts. ~

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When we tap into this pool of "unknown", where we're not fully aware of what to expect, we also subconsciously tap into trust. In this moment, we're forced to move forward and navigate this feeling of uncertainty with a trust/faith that we're going to be okay. That we can handle this challenge. And through this act, we prove to ourselves that we are, in fact, capable of tackling challenges, even while afraid, or uncertain. And the more we do so, the more that trust and confidence expands inside us. This reminds me of something I heard on a podcast the other day (Unsolicited Advice with Ashley + Taryne; highly recommend), where Ash and Taryne were talking about fear. They shared a quote that really stuck with me. "Do it afraid." Dang. That hit. Do. It. Afraid. I think that as humans we can oftentimes feel that to tackle a challenge, we have to be unafraid, or fully "ready", otherwise we should steer clear of it, because we're "not ready yet".We go into flight, not fight. WHO says you're not ready? Fear. And fear is a liar. So I'm making a proposal. Even when we're fearful, we will step into faith and be bold anyways. Do it afraid. By doing so, you're allowing room for faith to step in, and by moving forwards even with the fear, you diminish that fear.

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~"Do the things you fear and the fear loses its control over you." ~

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You can make moves even while uncertain. Do it afraid.

Xx

-J